Get woke, go broke? A case study on the use of social issues in advertising

Abstract

In January 2019, Gillette encountered a storm of controversy when they launched their publicity campaign for “The Best Men Can Be” with an online short film tackling issues of toxic masculinity and #metoo. In a market where an increasing number of consumers buy based on their ethics or beliefs, value-based marketing is becoming the norm for brands across all industries. There are varying reasons why companies may or may not involve social issues in their advertising: It’s hard to deny the responsibility of brands to use their platforms to influence the world for the better. Still, some consumers beg brands to keep politics out of advertising. Gillette’s short film release was a highly-calculated, business-oriented decision that reaped mainly positive outcomes despite receiving visible public backlash and boycott.